Cleveland Group Wiki
Welcome to the Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra: Franz Welser -Möst, describing the history, education, experience, and reputation of the works created in the last 100 years. Orchestra History The Cleveland Orchestra is a renowned performing ensemble and one of the premier orchestras of the world, joining with those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. These orchestras are generally acknowledged the “Big Five” of American symphonic music, similarly to how La Salle University is one of the “Big Five” of Philadelphia universities. It is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. Such a notable orchestra owes its credit to a group of local citizens, who founded it in 1918. Since 1918, the orchestra has continually prospered. The Cleveland Orchestra has been led by seven music directors as follows: (Nikolai Sokoloff 1918-33, Artur Rodzinski 1933-43, Erich Leinsdorf 1943-46, George Szell 1946-70, Lorin Maazel 1972-82, Christoph von Dohnányi 1984-2002). Currently, Franz-Welser-Most is the music director, who has contributed to tours in Europe and other countries. The Cleveland Orchestra regularly appears at European festivals and tours from coast to coast with Franz-Welser Most leading them. They have even visited Japan and Korea on tours. Severance Hall is the Cleveland Orchestra’s home. It is regarded by many music lovers as one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls. It opened its doors to play wonderful music in 1931. The hall is named for John L. Severance and his wife, Elisabeth, who initially pledged $1 million for its construction. Another Cleveland Orchestra facility that opened its doors was the Blossom Music Center. The Blossom Music Center is an outdoor facility in nearby Cuyahoga Falls that hosts the orchestra’s annual Blossom Festival. The entire music center is comprised of a theatre, lawn, gift shop, a wine shop, and picnic areas, some of which was designed by Cleveland’s own architect, Peter van Dijk. The Blossom Festival consists of a series of summer concerts. The summer concerts range with a diverse array to rock, country, jazz, and many others. Surely, it is a popular venue in the summer time, with more than 400,000 people visiting. Another very significant feature of the Cleveland Orchestra includes its work with school districts. Since its founding in 1918, the Cleveland Orchestra has introduced over four million Cleveland schoolchildren to symphonic music. They truly focus on greater education for children. The orchestra even performs concerts at Cleveland public high schools. Then, they specifically have a program called, “PNC Grow Up Great: A Great Early Start in the Arts.” Here, members of the orchestra partner with teachers and help them to use music to support the preschool curriculum. This also allows children to have an earlier introduction and greater appreciation of music. Other individual orchestra members work with teachers in K-5 classrooms, while others help coach the school’s orchestra. The Cleveland Orchestra 2013-2014 The Cleveland Orchestra 2013-2014 Season Fall 2013 Winter 2013 Spring 2013 Bolded Composers are from the 20th Century The Conductor Franz Welser-Mӧst was born on August 16, 1960 in Linz, Austria. Welser-Mӧst's career as a conductor and director flourished over time. Although Welser-Mӧst studied violin and had interest in conducting as a youth, an injury from an automobile accident changed his destiny. Welser-Mӧst's early career performances were at the Salzberg Festival in 1985, London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1986, and the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur from 1987-1990. Welser-Mӧst also conducted orchestras of Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and London early in his career. Welser-Most currently is the music director for Cleveland Orchestra through 2018, which coincides with the orchestra's 100th Anniversary. Early on, critics were not too kind to Welser-Mӧst. One critic wrote that "he came from nowhere, he's going nowhere." This was in 1996 after quitting London for the Zürich Opera. "Frankly Worst than Most" was a nickname given to Welser-Mӧst by the press during his six-year (1990-1996) tenure of the London Philharmonic. In the end, Welser-Mӧst gained not only respect through his leadership, but a renowned conductor for the Cleveland Orchestra and General Musikdirecktor of the Vienna Staatsoper. Some of the highlights in Welser-Mӧst's career include being a guest conductor of all leading orchestras in Europe and the United States. These appearances include the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra as well as orchestras in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Through his recordings, Welser-Mӧst is also the recipient of the Gramophone Award, Japanese Record Academy Award, and two Grammy nominations. The Gold Medal of Upper Austria, Conductor of the Year by Musical America in 2003, and honorary mmembership of the Vienna Singverein are some of the honors he received. Although Welser-Mӧst maintains homes in Cleveland, Zurich, Vienna, and rural Austria, he finds time to walk around town, hike with friends, dine, and practice yoga. He is married and has no children. Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Find videos about your topic by exploring Wikia's Video Library. Category:Browse Category:Category templates Category:Category